A Story of Grace Part 7: Second Chance
by thatblue
Summary: The Doctor thought leaving Rose and his duplicate on the parallel world meant he could close the door on that chapter in his life. He was wrong.
1. Chapter 1

**I don't own Doctor Who.**

Donna was mad at him, he was certain of that much. Grace as well, he had yelled at her a few minutes ago. Jack had followed her out of the room, giving the Doctor a glare to express his feelings. He didn't mean to yell at her, she hadn't done anything wrong. She just was in the wrong place at the wrong time.

He and Donna had been fighting, something they rarely did, but lately it was more and more. He knew why, and it was the very reason that he had been hesitant to try to have another baby. The constant let down was hard on them both.

They had gotten lucky once, they had a walking miracle in the TARDIS already, and he wondered if trying again was being greedy.

She had done most of the yelling, and shooed him out of the room when he tried to calm her down. He hated this too, but she didn't seem to understand that. It was just as hard on him when the test showed that she wasn't., but she seemed to think that he didn't care.

He wished that they could have several children running around, had always, but it didn't seem like that was what the universe wanted for them.

Then Grace had showed up in the room, asking something about where they were going to go today. He yelled at her, telling her that not everything revolved around her.

Her smile had fallen at once, but she didn't yell back. She just frowned and turned walking out of the room. Jack glared and followed, and now he was sitting on the chair looking at the console.

They had been happy, why did they have to mess with the balance? He knew better, knew that he couldn't ask for more than what he had.

"You all right?" Jack asked, entering the room again.

The Doctor looked up, surprised there was a soul on the TARDIS that was still talking to him at this point.

"Always," the Doctor lied. "Surprised you are talking to me."

Jack shrugged, and made the Doctor scoot over so he could sit beside him. "Someone has to," he told him, which made the Doctor feel just a little worse. When did he become the bad guy?

"Grace okay?"

Jack shrugged again, "She won't talk to me, locked herself in her garden. Still, it makes her happy, so that's fine."

"You'd give anything to make her happy," the Doctor told him, but it wasn't a question.

Jack gave him a serious look. "You know that, just like you would for Donna."

"I'm afraid I'm doing a pretty poor job at making her happy right now," the Doctor confided.

He could hardly pretend he was fine when he wasn't these days. Not with this lot around. It took 900 plus years but he had found people who could read him like a book.

A short simple book, even.

Jack looked sympathetic. He wrapped an arm around the Doctor shoulder. "She's not mad at you, you know. She's just frustrated, and I'll bet she's blaming herself."

The Doctor shook his head, "Not her fault."

"Did you tell her that?"

The Doctor thought about her, and while he thought he had, he hadn't said it so plainly. Maybe she just needed to hear it from him, that he didn't blame her. He didn't- how could he?

"No, I guess not," the doctor admitted.

"Go talk to her Doctor," Jack smiled that famous grin. "Please, it'll make the whole place better. Don't you guys know you are the foundation of this home?"

The Doctor smiled, and gave a tiny nod. He removed himself from Jack's arm, and went to find Donna. After he got settled with her, he needed to apologize to Grace. He had told her that she was selfish, and she was the farthest thing from that.

The Doctor walked into the kitchen, always having a good sense of where Donna was since they had become a couple. She looked up, and he braced himself for another set of harsh words but instead she let out a sob.

"Sorry," she told him, looking down.

He moved to her at once, pulling her into an embrace. "No, I'm sorry. This all- it's been hard, but it's not going to be better if we are fighting each other. Donna, I love you, no matter what."

She looked up at him, "Even if I can't give you another baby?"

He kissed her lips, and then pulled back. "It's not your fault, I want you to know that. We knew that it might not be easy for us, but it is just how it is. And if we never have another baby, then I will love you just as much as I do at this moment."

She hugged him more tightly, "Should we give up?"

"No," he shook his head, even if he had been considering it. It meant too much too her, and he would do anything for her. "Maybe take a break, a couple of weeks off, and then try again."

"Okay," she agreed, looking down at her now cold tea.

"Let me make you some more," he told her gently. He sat about making her a fresh cup, and then kissed her deeply.

"I got to go apologize to Grace, and then would you like to take a trip?"

She nodded, "Yes, somewhere relaxing?"

"Anything," he vowed. "Anything for you."

She smiled and then frowned, "What did you do to my girl?"

The Doctor looked away, "I'll fix it."

"You better," Donna returned, sounding much better now. "You know how mothers can get."

The Doctor smiled at her, "I know, on my way. Drink your tea, and then we will figure out where to go."

She nodded, and he hurried away. The TARDIS moved Grace's garden closer to the kitchen, and he was surprised when the door opened. He walked down the long path, listening to the soft singing of his child's voice. She got that from her mother, sounding like what he thought an angel might, if they were real.

She was singing an old Earth Hymn and he smiled to himself, looking around the garden. He had given her this one years ago, all for her own, and she had taken it from bare to beauty. She put in a lot of hard work and it showed.

There were young trees, growing strong in the artificial son, and plants in rows. There were section for fruits and vegetables. Even a pond, the TARDIS had made for her.

He could see why she saw it as such a retreat from the outside world.

She didn't look up as he approached, just kept pulling weeds away from the plants. The TARDIS stopped the weeds in the other gardens, but left them here for Grace. It was good therapy she claimed, and by the way she was yanking she was in need of it.

"Grace," he said softly, announcing his presence.

Instead of looking at him she looked at the ceiling and muttered. "Traitor."

He smiled, wishing she would smile back. "Grace," he tried again, reaching out for her hand. She didn't fight him, and he pulled her to a stand and walked them to the bench.

The room was warm, the 'sun' in its full glory, but he adjusted his temperature. It was probably not too bad for her, with her human temperatures.

She was looking anywhere but at him, and he looked down at her dirty hands. It made him want to hug her.

"I'm so sorry, Grace," he told her. "I didn't mean to yell, and I certainly didn't mean what I said. You are the least selfish person I know, love."

Grace sighed, and looked at him. "I don't care about what you said."

"Then what is it?"

"All you and Mom have been doing is fighting," she told him.

"Sweetheart," he did hug her now. "We still love each other."

She pulled away a little and rolled her eyes, "I know that, I'm not a child. It's just-"

She stopped there, and he brushed a tear from her cheek, "Just what?"

"I just don't like it is all," she muttered.

He suspected there was more to it than this but he decided to let it go. For now. "Let's go somewhere, a beach?"

She looked up and smiled, always easy to forgive. All of her mother's temper, but so willing to drop it just as quickly.

"Wash up, and meet us in the console room," he instructed, kissing her cheek and starting to walk out.

He heard the TARDIS hum, and Grace say, 'All right, you're not a traitor, sorry."

He smiled.

It was another couple of minutes before they were all in the console room, but at least he seemed to be back on speaking terms with everyone. He vowed to make it up to them today, anything they wanted he would try to give.

"So where to?"

He was standing by the console, but willing to let any of the others pilot if they asked.

Grace had opened her mouth when the lights went off and the TARDIS shook.

Hard.

It was only seconds, but it felt like minutes before the lights came back on and the shaking stopped. They were all on the ground, but Jack was helping Grace up. He moved to Donna, who was laughing. His Donna.

"Doctor," she said in between giggles. "You haven't been that bad in a while."

"Wasn't me," he protested, but smiled back at her. It was the first time she had laughed in weeks, it seemed. He didn't mind if it was at his expense.

He didn't even notice Grace moving to the door until it opened, "Grace, wait. It might not be safe."

Grace looked back, "'Cause that had always stopped me."

He shrugged, she had a point.

"So where are we?"

He and the others moved to the doorway, stepping out. It looked like London, except he looked up. No…No, this couldn't be. This was impossible.

He grabbed Grace's hand, and Donna was giving him a look.

"Doctor is this-"

"Yes," he agreed, quickly. "Come on, we shouldn't be here."

"It's the parallel world, right daddy?" Grace asked, fighting his tug."Where you left Uncle and Rose?"

"Yes," he agreed again, as gently as he could manage.

He had left them here together, had hoped they would make a happy life. His human self could give Rose what he couldn't and call him crazy he didn't really want to stick around to see either of them. He was a coward, but he had closed those doors a long time ago.

He got them back in the TARDIS and closed the doors, but when he moved to the console the TARDIS wouldn't move.

"You promised," Grace was insisting, sounding younger than her years.

"Promised what?" He lied, hoping if he claimed he didn't know he could be forgiven.

He had promised Grace a long time ago that if somehow they had made it here that he would let her try to see his duplicate, that they decided would be her uncle. She wanted to meet him, and he had thought a promise wouldn't hurt anything because there was no way back.

But here they were and she was calling him out on it. She didn't understand though. What he had done, he had done with the best of intentions, but that didn't mean that things went according to plan.

"Daddy," she demanded. "You said if we ever made it I could meet Uncle and Rose."

Rose's name no longer tore open a hole in his soul, but that didn't mean he didn't still care about her. He was about to protest when Donna looked at him, maybe she would help.

"Doctor," she moved closer. "You promised her, and besides we should see why we were pulled here."

He swallowed, outnumbered. "Okay," he agreed. Inside he was going crazy, but on the outside he was resolved.

They heard a soft knock on the TARDIS door, and Grace was reaching to open it. "Let me," he tried to tell her, knowing it had to be one of two people. Or both.

She had already opened it however, and there stood his duplicate. He didn't look much older, so it couldn't have been very long since they had left them here.

"Hello." His duplicate said with a smile.


	2. Chapter 2

If the Doctor's duplicate thought it was odd to have a nineteen-almost twenty- year old stranger called him Uncle ,he didn't give any indication.

"Hello," he repeated, "May I come in?"

Grace looked back at her father who wasn't pleased if his facial expression was any indication but he gave her a head tilt of concession.

"Sure," Grace responded, stepping out of the way.

The Duplicate walked in, looking around with a smile of appreciation on his face. Grace thought he looked like he was coming home after a long trip away.

"Doctor," he greeted the Doctor, with a nervous smile. "Donna, Jack."

"Hello," Donna finally broke the silence, and went to him. She pulled him into a tight hug. "How are you?"

He shrugged, and Grace looked back and forth between her father and this man. He sounded a lot like her mom, but looked just like her father. It was kind of weird, and she wondered if she would be better off calling him her brother instead of Uncle.

"It's good to see you," the Duplicate finally decided. "All of you, but I'm afraid I don't know you."

He looked at Grace now, "I'm Grace."

She smiled at him, and now the Doctor stepped forward. "She's our daughter."

"Oh," the Duplicate gave her a warm smile and then looked back at the Doctor. "You've been busy, how long has it been for you, then?"

The Doctor looked something close to annoyed and Grace didn't quite understand. Oh, she knew that he thought this part of his life was over, and that he had closed that door when he closed the TARDIS doors. She also knew that he had been lying to her when he made the promise, because she understood how unlikely- not impossible it seemed- that it was they would ever make it back.

"How long has it been for you?" the Doctor countered softly, eyes on Grace.

If he was trying to send her a mental warning she wasn't getting it.

"Seven months," he replied, calmly, though Grace saw discomfort on his face. The Doctor opened his mouth but the Duplicate pushed on. "Look, I know what you wanted when you left us here, but it didn't happen."

"What didn't happen?" Jack asked from over by the console.

"Rose and I-"he sighed loudly and then continued. "We didn't find love, we tried, but I wasn't you, Doctor."

"Of course you are me," the Doctor brushed it off.

"I'm not-"the duplicate growled, "-Not enough for her."

"What's your name?" Grace asked, interrupting the conversation.

She got a friendly smile for her efforts. "David, I go by David Noble."

"David," Grace repeated, "I like it, and Noble, guess you are more like a brother then."

"Grace," the Doctor interrupted. "Why don't you go somewhere, like your room?"

Grace glared, "I'm not a child."

"Please," the Doctor gritted out. He looked back to Jack. "Will you please take her somewhere?"

Jack took a step forward but stopped at once when Grace shot him a glare. "You're on your own, Doctor."

"I didn't mean to cause this much trouble," David muttered. "I just thought maybe we could talk, and go from there."

David looked to the door, and started walking towards it.

"David," Donna called to him, "Please, stay, let's have a drink and talk."

He smiled back at her, "Thanks."

The Doctor looked frustrated. He opened his mouth but Grace cut him off, "Dad, be nice."

"Grace you don't…" the Doctor started, but Donna slapped his arm.

"Don't you dare tell her she doesn't understand?" Donna growled at him. 'Grace, honey, will you get you all settled in the kitchen, I'm going to have a quick word with your father."

Grace gave the Doctor a look of sympathy and then nodded, "Come on, David."

She reached out, and he took her hand easily. She walked him out of the room, with Jack following with a smile on his face.

DW

"What is your problem?" Donna asked the Doctor when they were out of earshot.

The Doctor looked upset and she sighed reaching out to pull him to her. He spoke to her hair. "This is impossible."

Donna pulled back giving him a look that showed she knew that wasn't the problem. "No, that's not it. This has nothing to do with the impossible, this is an issue with David."

The Doctor reached up and mussed his hair, even more than he had done already. "No," he admitted so softly she almost missed it. "It's not him."

"Then who is it?"

"Her," he replied, his brown eyes misty.

"Her who?" Donna asked before it clicked. "Rose?"

He nodded looking miserable. She bit her lip, "We haven't seen her yet."

"We will," he said with certainty.

"One issue at a time," Donna reasoned. "Let's go talk with David."

The Doctor nodded, and took her hand when she offered hers, and they made their way to the kitchen. David was making the tea, chatting easily with Jack and Grace when they entered. He looked at the Doctor and Donna, his brown eyes hopeful.

Donna felt a stir to hug him, certain that these last seven months had been hard on him. She wasn't sure what relation he might be explained as to her, but she didn't stop loving him when they left him on that beach.

She had truly believed in what the Doctor was doing, that he was trying to give them something that he no longer wanted. That he no longer needed, but like a lot of plans it didn't work out.

"Okay," the Doctor sat down at the table, "Let's talk."

DW

David looked out at them, the family he hadn't found anywhere else. He had missed them every second of those seven months, but it had been much longer for them than it had for him. They had time to have a daughter, a pretty girl with eyes that were a combination of her mother and fathers.

He was nervous to tell them that he was the reason that they had been pulled here. He knew for a fact that impossible was a tiny thing when you had the motivation and knowledge to accomplish something you wanted.

He wanted a second chance. He didn't know if they would want him, well he thought everyone but the Doctor might, which seemed the cruelest of all the possible of rejections.

"I brought you here," he spoke quietly.

The Doctor didn't look particularly surprised; actually looking around the room none of the faces looked surprised. Was it that obvious?

"Safely," was all the Doctor asked him.

"Yes," he agreed. "It was actually me, and a piece that fell through the rift, but it was done safely."

"Okay, then," the Doctor agreed. "So why?"

"I want to come with you," David blurted, and was certain that his single heart was going to break if they said no.

All eyes, including his went to the Doctor's face. He ran his long finger through his messed up hair, and opened his mouth. From the kitchen – the TARDIS must have amplified the noise- they heard a loud knock.

David frowned, "That'll be Rose."


	3. Chapter 3

The Doctor led the way back to the console room, both of his hearts doing a nervous dance inside his chest. He tried to remember to breath, didn't need to use his bypass for no reason. He was hyper aware of those around him, all his sense on mauve alert.

Grace was walking with both David and Jack, and he should have known that she would have taken to his duplicate. Grace rarely met a stranger, and she had wanted to meet David since she was old enough to hear the story.

How could he deny her? And he had meant what he said; it wasn't really David he had the problem with. Heck it wasn't even exactly Rose, either. It was what Rose had been once upon a time, that made this short journey like a walk on death row.

He didn't want to face it, a coward every time.

They made it to the console room, and he swallowed and took a breath. He walked over to the door, only allowing a second of a glance back at his family. He wasn't alone, he reminded himself. Never alone, not anymore.

Grace stepped up, "Let me, Dad?"

He looked back at her, her eyes all concern for him. She could go from furious with him to wanting to save him, in the matter of minutes. He shouldn't let her, he really should do this on his own, but he just couldn't. Not now that she had offered.

He nodded, and she walked over to the door, letting him return to the safety of the console. Donna stepped up at once, and he wrapped his arm around her, pulling her snug to him. She was offering and he would take. He would let Donna be his armor, against Rose, and against himself.

The door opened, and he heard Grace greet her, as kind as could be. Rose pushed in, not unkindly, and she stood looking around the console room.

She spotted him first, and started to take a step forward, until she noticed how he held Donna. She stopped at once. "Doctor?"

"Hello, Rose," he greeted her, Donna stroking his back gently with the hand behind him.

Rose confused him. She had once been someone he loved, and even now she made him feel weak. Weak and obligated, especially since she defied the laws of the universe to get back to him. He could carry guilt like no one, and he felt guilty when he looked at Rose.

He was guilty after all. Guilty that he had moved on, even when he thought that he never would. He was guilty that he had found someone else to love, while she suffered to find him again.

He had to look at her on that beach and ignore what he knew that she wanted. She still love him, would still move the world for him, and he was guilty because he didn't share that anymore.

He might have only felt an ounce of what he felt for Donna compared to what he did now, but it had been enough back then to know that he was doing the right thing. If she had stayed, he doubted that he would be happy like he was now.

Rose had been great; she had taken a broken man and reminded him what it meant to fight for something real. But after he had lost her, after he had time to actually heal, he knew that she wasn't right for him.

He needed someone like Donna, because Donna made him better. And without Donna there would be no Grace, with her green eyes. No family, like he had now.

Rose was watching him, trying to decided something he imagined. Her thinking face hadn't changed. She looked over to Jack.

"Jack!"

Jack beamed at her, walking over to give her a hug. Grace walked past them, walking to stand by David. She slipped her hand into his, and he looked surprised. He smiled at her, and then returned his gaze to the woman who was supposed to love him, but didn't.

Rose took Jack's hug, but went farther, reaching up and kissing his lips. To be fair, it wasn't as if Rose knew that he was taken, or even how long it had been for them, but the kiss lingered.

Jack didn't break it, and the Doctor was growing angry. He looked to Grace, who was glaring, but had yet to step up.

Grace was her mother's child though, and that speck of control she was holding on to was about to fade. He could see it.

"Jack!"

He could see the moment Jack remembered himself. He pulled back, blushing a little.

"Good to see you, Rose."

He moved away from her, standing beside Grace. Grace didn't look up at him, but she didn't fight him when he took her hand.

"This is Grace, my fiancée."

Rose looked confused, and maybe a little hurt. Another layer of guilt for the Doctor, and he imagined a little for Jack.

It had only been seven months for her, "Rose, let's go to the kitchen and talk."

She nodded, and he didn't miss the faint tears in her brown eyes. He wanted to hug her, but he knew that wasn't a good idea right now.

The Doctor walked, leading the way again. He noticed when Grace broke away from the group, heading in the opposite direction and when Jack tried to follow David shook his head. Jack and him seemed to make an agreement, and David followed Grace, and Jack followed the Doctor.

The Doctor wanted to go check on his daughter, wanted to throw Jack out of the TARDIS midflight. Rose didn't know any better, that could be forgiven, but Jack knew that he had a soon to be wife.

Once in the kitchen, Donna left his side, and went to make fresh tea. He sat at the table, Rose and Jack joining them. The Doctor was dreading this conversation.

He was actually going to have to tell Rose that he didn't love her anymore, not just leave her on a beach with another version of him.

DW

David followed the pretty eyed girl, slowly, letting her get ahead. Sister, niece, he really didn't care what they wanted her to be to him; he knew the moment he saw her that she would be loved.

She carried light, just like her mum, and she was hurting right now. He knew that Jack hadn't meant to hurt her; Jack was just a bit implosive. At least he had when David had last seen him, and it seemed it hadn't changed.

He hadn't missed the concern and worry in Jack's eyes when Grace had walked away, just like he hadn't missed the pretty diamond on Grace's left hand.

David might be new here, but he wasn't needed in that room with the others, and Grace needed someone to talk to. He could only hope maybe she would see him as a safety net. He might be a stranger, but they were family.

He was led, gently but persistently to a door. He tried the door handle and though he was sure it was locked, it opened to him. A gentle hum told him that he better take care of the girl within.

He wondered in, all rooms were new to him with these eyes. He had only seen them as the Doctor, but he had no memory of this garden. It was pretty with a long walkway. He wanted to explore, but he followed the sound of life before him.

He finally found her, feet dangling in a small pond, sitting on a little dock.

"May I join you?"

She looked back, not surprised to see him.

"TARDIS will let anyone in here," she mumbled.

He knew that it shouldn't but those words hurt him. He felt like it was a rejection.

"I'll go," he told her, softly.

"Sit," she commanded, scooting over. She sounded just like Donna. No room for argument, and least not if you were smart. He took of his shoes and did as he was told. He was a genius, he knew better than to challenge a Noble.

"I didn't mean anything, David. Sorry."

She looked at him, tears running down her face. She wiped at them but they didn't stop. He pulled her into his arms, and she didn't fight him.

He rubbed her back, and did the only thing he could think of- he sung soft lullabies in Gallifreyan. Her body settled, and when she finally calmed she moved away, looking embarrassed.

"Okay?" He wiped away her tears with his fingers.

She nodded. "I'm not a big baby, really."

He shook his head. "No, of course not. I don't think that, love."

She was watching him with curious eyes. "You sound like Dad."

He couldn't make himself shatter that illusion. He couldn't tell her, just yet, how different he was. At least according to Rose.

He had never been the Doctor for her, well, aside from the moments before the TARDIS left them. In those moments she fought to believe, but her love for him, faded as the last sound from the TARDIS did.

He supposed she tried, she said that she did, but he couldn't tell. Every time he did something new, something she didn't think the Doctor would do, it started an argument.

He hated every minute, and the biggest relief in those seven months was when they decided there was nothing left to fight for. He would have loved her, would have moved the world for her, but she killed that.

He was the part of the Doctor that could still love her, the part that he hadn't been holding back, and thinking of another woman when they last parted.

He didn't hate Rose, he really didn't. If it had been him that traveled across worlds to find someone, why would he want an imitation? Would he have been happy with someone else?

He doubted it. It was the Doctor's fault, mostly. If he would have told her that he didn't love her anymore, at least not enough, maybe she would have tried. Really tired, but he didn't, and David hated that he understood that as well. He knew, and he couldn't ever tell her either.

"Are you okay, David?" Grace's soft voice brought him back.

He couldn't only nod. Would she want him around, if she thought that he was different? Would she ever let him comfort her again, let him hug her. The first real hug he had had in so many months.

"I don't care that you aren't my daddy," she told him, looking away. He looked over at her. "That's what you are worried about right? You don't have to be anyone but David, at least not around here."

She gave him a gift in those simple words. A gift like the one Donna had given the Doctor when she had told him that he didn't have to be anyone but himself when he was with her.

It was one amazing family, and he so wanted to be a part of it.

"Thank you," he was choked up, but he fought it. He wondered how things were going with Rose, but he wouldn't leave Grace to go find out.

"Let's go see," Grace stood, leaving her shoes where they were.

Was she reading his mind?

They walked to the door, and she slipped her hand into his. He could hear yelling echoing through the halls, but she didn't increase her pace. He stayed at her side. It was definitely a woman screaming, but he couldn't' tell from here if it was Rose or not.

She gave his hand a gentle squeeze, and he felt his heart slow just a little. He had found home, he knew, now if only they would let him stay.


	4. Chapter 4

Donna hated to leave the Doctor alone with Rose, and it had nothing to do with trust. Rose was a weak spot for him, a big pile of guilt that made him slightly irrational. She knew, though that the Doctor needed to have a private conversation with Rose. And honestly Donna thought that the poor girl deserved to have that conversation without Jack and her staring at her. She didn't envy the Doctor, the man who avoided uncomfortable things as much as possible, but sometimes you had to finish the story. Sometimes it didn't work to just close the book, and this was one of those times.

Aside from that, she had a strong desire to slap some sense into Jack. He had hurt her little girl. Oh, her Grace was strong, she hardly needed a protector. But Donna was always going to be there to do that for her.

Grace was also forgiving, despite the worry that Jack carried in his eyes at this moment, he needn't worry. She would come around, she always did.

She knew Jack, knew that sometimes he made stupid decisions, especially when it came to things like kissing.

She would forgive, but a mother doesn't forget.

Jack was backing away from her, and she hadn't even started yet. She let him back away until they were far away from that kitchen. She didn't want to disturb the conversation that was going on in there.

"I'm sorry," Jack finally stopped moving, apparently catching on to her desire to be far away from the kitchen. He now stood his ground, willing to accept his punishment.

"You should be," Donna told him plainly, she was trying to stay calm. "But not to me. To Grace, who would never dream of doing what you just did, she would remember. She would remember that we are having a ceremony for you two next week on Earth. She would remember that she was taken, Jack."

Jack hung his head, "I know."

"Then why did you do it?" She might have been yelling just a little bit at that point. Maybe…just a little.

"Because I'm an idiot," Jack offered, giving her a very good puppy dog look. She might have hit him if his blue eyes didn't look so sad.

Donna sighed, all the anger passing now. "Got that right."

Jack nodded. "Complete and always."

"Well," Donna heard Grace's voice from behind Jack. She could tell Grace had been crying, but she seemed better now. Her hand was in David's and he looked at her gently. "Maybe not always-"

He spun and looked at Grace. "I'm so sorry, Grace. So sorry. I'm a fool."

Grace nodded, "But you are my fool."

He let out a ragged breath. Donna wondered how he could have possible thought that Grace was going to give up on him because of this. Didn't he see how she looked at him?

"Come here," Grace instructed, with open arms.

He moved quickly, David stepping out of the way. Jack pulled Grace into his arms, squeezing until she slapped his back. "I have to breathe, you know."

He chuckled, a warm sound. "Do you forgive me?"

Grace looked over at David, "What do you think, David?"

Donna wondered why she was asking David, but then it clicked. Not only was she trying to include him in the family, she was trying to make sure Jack liked him as well.

David smiled gently, "He did say he was sorry, and admit he was a fool."

Grace nodded from her perch in Jack's arms, "All right forgiven. I have rules though."

Jack sat her down with a laugh, "This ought to be good."

"Very," Grace nodded, ignoring his sarcasm. "Rule one, your tongue does not go into other women's mouths."

"Just women?" Jack asked with a wink.

"Don't make me hurt you," Grace suggested, before continuing. "Rule two…well, it's not really a rule, but I want some chocolate."

Jack laughed. "Oh, my precious girl."

Donna smiled at them both, backing off a little. Her cub was safe, she could retract her claws.

Jack turned away, "Thank you, David."

David shrugged. "No problem."

"No," Jack walked over. "Really. Thank you for talking to her, and thank you for pulling us here. I think this was something that needed to happen. My vote is for you staying, if that's what you want."

David nodded, "Very much."

Donna walked over, and patted David's back. "We will make sure of it; I don't think the Doctor will object. Not now."

David nodded again. He looked relieved, and Donna pulled him into a hug. "We love you already, always."

"I love you too." David told her, and Donna knew that he wasn't lying.

DW

The Doctor wasn't having fun. Not at all. Rose was crying, and he hadn't even told her everything, yet. He was worried. He wouldn't turn David away. He might have acted like a jerk, but he wouldn't do that to him. If it hadn't worked out, then David was welcome with them.

He would be a good addition to the family, and if he was still that man born in war he couldn't think of a better group to help bring him back from the edge.

But what if Rose wanted to come? He had told her that they wouldn't be back, but it didn't seem that she cared now. Here they were, and here she was.

All because Rose couldn't accept that the other man was him. Except he wasn't. Still, the Doctor was sure that he would have been willing to love Rose. There was a part of him that would have been. Maybe not now, but back then. The part that he left with her.

"Doctor," she sobbed out. "I thought I was never going to see you again."

He wanted to yell, he wanted to tell her she was wasting what she had. But that wasn't fair. Even if she was older Rose was still just a child. She might have come a long way, but he couldn't be unkind to her. It was his fault after all, back when, before he lost her, he had led her on.

She hadn't had time to properly heal, and he supposed leaving David with her probably felt like the cop out that it was. She wasn't dumb, even if she was young. She had to know he was blowing her off. He might have done it will good intentions, but the road to hell and all.

"Rose, I'm sorry," he told her. He made the decision and reached for her hand. It was soft and warm, and for him it had been so long. He still loved her of course, it just wasn't the same. He would always love her."I never thought I would be back, I wasn't lying."

He didn't think that was why she was crying, but it was a start. An apology, that maybe would help level some of this pile of guilt. The more guilty he felt the more likely it was that he was going to do something stupid, like ask her to stay.

"Why did you leave me here, with him?"

Him? The Doctor did get a bit angry now. "David? He has a name, and he would have loved you. You were just too stubborn to give him a chance!"

Okay, that hadn't come out well. He was struggling with blaming her and justifying her. There were equal points in both categories.

She took her hand back and he regretted the outburst. That wasn't why they were here. If this turned into the blame game, she had plenty of ammo against him.

He had walked her into life or death situations time and time again. He had done things along the way that were right at the time but could only be regrets now. So if they started down that road, it would get dark and lead to an argument. He didn't want to argue with Rose, he just wanted to help her understand.

"I know he has a name," she whispered. He reached for her hand again, her tone heart breaking. She let him take it. "And I know he thinks I didn't try, but I did. He is a good man, but he wasn't you. And it wasn't just that, he was just enough like you that it hurt."

She sighed and went on, "It wasn't like dating someone new. No, I had to stare at the face of the man I loved, but know the whole time that it wasn't him. He was just enough of you to break my heart every day."

The Doctor frowned. He had been hard on her, without knowing the details. That would be like someone asking him to be with someone who looked like Donna but wasn't. He could imagine that would only serve as a form of torture.

"I'm sorry, I really thought-"he began but how could he finish?

"I don't need you to love me, Doctor," she sighed and swallowed thickly. "I'm an adult, no matter what you think. I just need you to be honest."

The Doctor looked into her moist brown eyes. Honest was hard, but he owed her that. He took in a breath and nodded. "Okay, honest."


	5. Chapter 5

He told her everything, things he didn't want to say, things she didn't want to hear, but it was the truth. It didn't take more than a moment of reflection to realize that he was being more honest with her now in this room, than he had their entire time together.

In hindsight that should have spoken volumes about where their relationship was heading, but we rarely see clearly what is ahead- only what is behind.

He had been hoping that this conversation would help alleviate some of his guilt, but it had done nothing. The only places he had found freedom were in the light eyes of his daughter and wife.

Thinking of Grace now made him wonder about what the past could have brought him. If she had stayed, if he hadn't lost her back then, would they have gotten married? Had children? He doubted it- really doubted it- but still.

He would have loved that baby, but it wouldn't have been Grace. He remembered her first smile, step, equation. He thought about teaching her how to walk, how to stand after falling, and a million other moments that were forever etched into his mind and hearts.

Without Donna he would never have been this man, he wouldn't have a family.

"Doctor," she said, softly, but with strength. She had stopped crying when he had started talking.

She was sitting up straight, and he could see the tension in her face. She was still beautiful, but he thought it was the kind of beauty that was better when it was remembered. He had loved her, still did, but it wasn't the same.

She wasn't good for him, not like Donna was. If she had stayed their days were numbered anyway. At some point he would have realized that she wasn't helping him move forward. He would have seen that when the novelty of it all wore off. She had been good once upon a time. She had taken a broken man and pulled him back from the edge. For that he would always been in her debt, but what she couldn't do was far greater.

She couldn't make him talk, never really tried. Donna had helped him heal, and she had forgiven the unforgivable things in his past.

Rose was the past.

He thought she would want to go now. He hoped she wanted to go now. He longed for her to see that she now had all the pieces, all she had to do was stand back and let them fit. She could go back to her life, to her family. She didn't have to be haunted by the image of a man.

She was free. Free to heal, to find new love. Free to find what he had. Love, hope, a future.

"I want to come with you," she said.

His mind screamed no, but he didn't speak right away. What should he tell her? That he didn't want her, while that was true, it wasn't a complete thought. That she wasn't what he needed, also truth. He wasn't looking to hurt her, but anger was mixing with an odd sense of protection, and he was fumbling for the right words.

"I don't think so, Rose," he replied.

She swallowed, and he braced himself for some yelling. He wondered where the others were right now, and wished they were here. But this was his battle; he had to fight this on his own to get past it.

"You are going to let David," she protested, her voice just as level as it had been.

She had matured, he could see that now.

"He doesn't have anything out there, Rose," he tried to make her see. "You do."

He didn't add that he wouldn't turn David away, anyway. Or that he was family, because those things wouldn't help.

"It's not fair," Rose said, suddenly sounding her age.

No, it wasn't. But what could he do? "No, it's not, I'm sorry."

He could see tears again, and he felt a part of him breaking. He hated it when people cried, it was so hard on him to ignore. Maybe he wasn't being fair to her. Why should he shut her out, just because of the past?

He would ask his family, and if they said no, then that would be the end of it. "Give me a few minutes," he instructed her.

She gave a hopeful nod, and he left the room.

He found the group in the library. Grace was giving David a tour, he probably could remember the library well, and didn't need it but he was smiling. He asked her questions, challenging her as the Doctor often did.

Donna and Jack were watching them with love filled eyes, and small smiles of amusement. David was already home. How would Rose fit back in if she stayed? Would it through off their balance, challenge who they were now?

"Grace, David," he motioned for them.

They came down, David sitting beside Donna, Grace planting herself in Jack's lap. He wrapped his arms around her. The Doctor should have known that they would be back in good graces. He had to thank David for helping her though.

"What is it, Doctor?" Donna asked with worried eyes.

"Rose wants to come along, I wanted your opinions."

David glanced away, uncomfortable with the idea. "It's your home."

The Doctor shook his head, and laid a gentle hand on his arm. "It's your home too, David."

David looked back and smiled in understanding. He hugged the Doctor.

The Doctor smiled into his shoulder. At least he had made someone happy today.

When he was released he looked at them. Jack gave a tiny head shake that was clearly a vote of no. He could see emotions tagging each other on Grace and Donnas' face though. He understood. Neither would want to reject her, but they had to wonder what it would bring.

Rose had kissed Grace's finance a couple of hours ago, and if Grace were anyone else he would have expected her to protest.

"Whatever you think, Dad," she told him, with a shrug.

Donna grabbed his hand, "It should be your choice, Doctor. We will all support it."

They all nodded, even Jack, and he frowned. With a fake smile he had walked away, making a decision. He had gone to them for an answer, but what they gave him was a choice. It was the best form of help they could have offered, even if it didn't make it easier for him.

When he walked back into the kitchen Rose looked up. He looked her in the eye, and wondered if he would regret it. "Grace is having her birthday tomorrow. We will have a party at noon."

She seemed confused, "Okay."

Here it goes, "Why don't you come, and I will give you an answer."

She smiled, and rose. She moved forward to hug him, but stopped. He held his arms open, and she stepped into them. It didn't last long, but he hoped it was a start of rebuilding a bridge he had tried hard to burn.

He walked her to the doors, but before she left she turned back. "What does she like?"

"Like?"

"You know, a present?"

Oh, he wasn't expecting that. "Everything," he answered.

Rose gave a head shake, and agreed. "See you at noon."

She left, and he noticed he didn't ask him to apologize for the kiss. Either she wanted to do it herself, or she didn't think she had anything to be sorry for. One would help her, the other only help to seal her fate. Hurting Grace would be the fastest way to get left here, but he wouldn't give her a warning.

"Once chance, Rose Tyler," he spoke to the screen, watching her leave.

They spent the rest of the evening watching old movies. Grace fell asleep on Jack's chest. They had been up much of the week, and it had been a long day.

He shifted, intending to carry her to bed, but she woke.

Clicking the TV off they all made their way to their room, the Doctor helped David get settled before seeing Grace and Jack off.

He hugged Grace, pulling her tight into his embrace. He pretended as he always did his arms could stop the universe from turning. That in them she would always be safe, from heartache, from harm. He pretended she would always be that child that thought he hung every moon.

She held him tightly too. He wondered if she pretended as well. If she pretended he would always be there to catch her, like he had promised when she was too young to know it was impossible. If she pretended that nothing bad would happen to him- that he would never regenerate into a different man.

"Are you okay?" He asked.

She nodded against his chest, and he released her. "Yes, I'm fine."

She could have protested the change in events, her birthday party was meant to be on Earth, but she hadn't. And she hadn't been upset about him inviting Rose. She was an amazing girl. Just like her mum.

Jack was waiting and the Doctor laughed. "Go on, it's not like I don't know you sneak in there anyway."

Jack blushed, but the Doctor just shook his head. They were getting married next week, as long as he didn't have to hear about it he could pretend that nothing happened. He led Donna to their bed, and set about relieving the tension the day had brought.

What would tomorrow bring?


	6. Chapter 6

Grace awoke to screaming, and she was confused. She looked over to Jack who slept peacefully, arms wrapped tightly around her still. She moved away from him with practiced ease, and slipped her feet into some slippers.

Opening the door she saw the door across the hall that she knew led to David's room. Not seeing her Mum or Dad in the hallway she began to get the feeling that the TARDIS had only amplified the sound for her.

Whether that was because somehow she had failed to protect him from nightmares under her projection, or because he had comforted her earlier, she wasn't sure.

She rushed into his room, finding him sitting up on the bed, but he wasn't awake.

His eyes were open, but they were unseeing. His voice was there, low, but the words were unclear. She moved closer, carefully, knowing it could be dangerous to wake someone who was having a nightmare.

"David," she spoke softly, but he didn't seem to hear her. She waited until she was close enough to touch his shoulder and she laid her hand there gently. "David, honey, wake up."

She gave the tiniest of shakes to his arm and it seemed to snap him back into reality. He turned on her, his eyes confused and he grabbed her wrist as she tried to back away. She wasn't scared, though maybe she should have been; she was just trying to seem less intimidating.

His grip around her arm was tight enough to bruise, his hand warmer than her arm, and his breath was ragged. He was looking around the room, but didn't let go of her. She didn't fight him, trying to remain passive.

"Where am I?" he finally asked, his breathing slowing, presumably now he didn't see her as a threat.

"On the TARDIS, David. Don't you remember?"

He seemed to be coming down from his panic and he nodded slowly and then looked over at her. First at her face and she could see the recognition at last and then he looked down to where his fingers were still wrapped around her wrist. He let them go, and pulled his arm back.

"I'm sorry, Grace."

She didn't rub the feeling back into her hand like she wanted to do. She suspected that would only serve to make him feel worse.

"It's okay," she told him. "Are you all right?"

He didn't answer, instead moved on to a different subject. At least it looked like a different subject; she suspected he was answering her in his own way.

"I used to dream about being back here. Every morning I would wake up and find out it was only a dream again. "

"That was hard," she didn't make it a question. They were both past games; it was too late in the night to hide.

He nodded and looked at her once again. There were tears in his eyes. Those eyes were so familiar, so safe, but so different. He seemed to decide something and he scooted over on the bed. She watched him carefully.

"Will you stay for a few minutes," he asked, sounding so young.

She slid onto the bed, on top of the covers. She had never had a brother but she thought she might now. They could take care of each other, and she would show him that it wasn't a dream anymore.

"Of course, what were you dreaming about?"

She didn't know if he would answer. She supposed it would depend on who he took after. If it was her Mum he would probably share, if it wasn't she probably would be closed out.

"The day we thought we were going to lose your Mum," he said softly. "You know about that day?"

Grace nodded, she had seen the memories. "Yes, so what part of it?"

She couldn't figure out why her projections didn't work on him. Why could she protect the others from the nightmares that their life brought, but not him? The TARDIS hummed her answer.

Grace didn't like it but she understood. The TARDIS had left him vulnerable because he couldn't heal just by pretending it didn't exist.

She focused her mind, shutting out the words that David was casting out. She respected him too much to just look, just like she hadn't earlier, despite what he thought. He had been throwing those thoughts out, probably unconcerned because they hadn't been touching.

She set her mind to still project those images of peace to the others. It was more exhausting while she was awake but she didn't mind.

"The Daleks," he answered at last. "They shot her and I… he…was so scared. He thought he had lost her. I dream about that moment a lot, not sure why."

Grace frowned. "Did I ever tell you about the baby Dalek we found?"

He glanced at her, and she saw a faint twitch at the corners of his mouth. "That's impossible. There are no baby Daleks."

"Nothing is impossible," she answered honestly before continuing. She knew she hadn't told him of course, but it was enough to draw his attention.

He grinned just a little, more at ease than before. Maybe this story would give him a new way to look at those awful…things.

"All right then, tell me."

She leaned back, against the headboard. He mimicked her actions, settling in. She could hear his single heart find a much more normal pace.

"So there we were, my Mum and Dad and Jack, and we set the controls to random. We landed on this ice planet, but Dad said it was just another adventure."

"I was probably eleven at the time, and back then Jack and I were only friends, but we were also partners in crime."

"I can imagine," David injected, his voice sleepy. This would be an odd bedtime story but whatever worked.

She stuck her tongue out at him, and he chuckled. "Sorry, go on."

"So we started walking, and there was this huge bridge that spanned over this great big ocean. And it was all frozen of course, but Dad said it hadn't always been. Anyway we crossed this bridge and there were these great big trees."

"They were dead now, but they were thick, like an old forest. We decided not to go in, but then we heard something. Mum got nervous, me being a 'child' and all, and she told Dad we were going somewhere else."

David chuckled again when she put air quotes around the word child.

"So we started to walk away, and then the sound started to follow us. Every time we looked back though we didn't see anything. I guess it was enough to decide to go back to the TARDIS but as we were starting out over the bridge we heard a loud thump."

David was listening with interest now. His eyes were heavy lidded but she noticed a faint smile. "What was it?" He asked.

"I'm getting there," she told him with a finger point. He nodded. "So we heard the thump and we all spun around and there was this little Dalek on its side. Its little eye stalk was going crazy and it was shouting."

David sat up now, "There are no baby Daleks…what did it look like?"

"Just like a miniature Dalek. Dad thought it was cute, which surprised us, Mum told him he was a nutter."

David laughed. "So what did you do?"

"Well they argued about what to do, while Jack and I decided on our own. We went over to it, and sat it back up. Then it did something surprising. It took its little plunger and reached up and touched my cheek. Then it said 'Friend'"

"Of course when it did that my parents both turned, shocked. They decided to take it onboard the TARDIS and there we learned about it. Apparently it was an experiment, one they decided didn't work out and they had dumped him on that planet."

"What happened to it?"

Grace looked away. "We kept Paul for a couple of months, and then he got sick. He died a couple days after that. Dad said that there was a fault in his genes."

David seemed to pick up on her sadness. Who knew that a Dalek could ever make someone miss them? "Paul?"

She smiled now, and he leaned back once more. "Yeah, he picked it one day. I was reading a book, and it was reading over my shoulder. Paul followed me everywhere. My parents never said, but I think they were relieved when he was gone. I understand, but Paul was different."

"You miss him."

"It's daft."

"No it's not. How about I tell you one of my stories, from that world?"

Grace nodded, settling her head on the pillow.

"So I was working with Torchwood and we got this call about this lake monster…"

DW

She was asleep, or very nearly there, David noted but it helped him feel less alone to keep talking. He had only half believed her story about 'Paul' until he saw the real hurt in her eyes. He would have to ask the Doctor about that at some point.

She had done something great for him. Now when he thought the word Dalek all he saw was a little pepper pot following a little Grace around the TARDIS.

His eyes were getting heavy. It was getting close to morning outside the TARDIS doors when he finally closed his eyes again. He let the gentle sound of his…sisters…breathing fill the emptiness.

In the comfort of her presence he finally slipped under and for the first time since his creation he didn't have a nightmare. He slept in peace, ready to face tomorrow and Rose.


	7. Chapter 7

The Doctor awoke early. Well, early outside the TARDIS doors, in here it could be anytime. He had slept well, his dreams pleasant despite the turmoil he was still feeling. He really needed to thank Grace for her gift again.

It was times like this when he really noticed, times when he would have been disturbed all night by the things that always haunted him.

Donna was still resting peacefully, and he had no desire to disturb her. She looked like an angel asleep. She wouldn't be pleased if he woke her up, even if she would move past that to be with him, but right now he really thought he just needed a few moments.

He had told Rose he would have an answer, but he didn't. Every time he thought he decided either way, something would change his mind. Yes and no were being well exhausted inside his thoughts.

Rose was more mature, so maybe it wouldn't be so bad. But what if it was, then they were stuck with her. Only he could leave her back in the other dimension, she could find a life there if need be. But then she wouldn't be with her family.

For his several hours of sleep he felt tired. It wasn't the type of tired that could be cured by rest. It would only get better if he made a decision that he could live with. The probably was that he didn't know how to live with either.

He left the room, closing the door softly behind him. The TARDIS halls were dimmed and aside from the hum of his beautiful machine there was only silence.

He considered going to the library, or even the pool. Sometimes he was only able to think clearly when he smelled the chlorine and swam until his muscles protested.

Both of them would take him past the others rooms, so he decided to peek in on them. He was a man who lost everything over and over and sometimes he needed a reminder that he still had them. It helped him to know that his family was still there and resting in the safety of his protection.

He came to Grace's room first, and placed his hand on the doorknob. He asked the TARDIS to make sure that they were both covered, before he opened the door. He hated to ignore privacy but a knock would be sure to wake them up.

He wanted to see them sleep. It always made them look younger, and like people who hadn't seen so much wrong.

It was only Jack though, covered well, but alone. The Doctor could tell that his arm was lying across the spot where Grace would usually be.

The Doctor wondered where his girl was. She probably woke up early, and went to read or swim. She had gotten into that habit when they woke at the same time.

He saw David's door and decided to check on him before finding Grace. He opened the door and felt a little shock at finding Grace there. David was asleep on the far side of the bed, his chest rising and falling steadily.

Grace was closest to the door, on top of the covers, curled into herself. The Doctor expected that she hadn't intended to stay when she came in her.

He heard the TARDIS explain the nightmare and he nodded to himself. He was going to let them rest until Grace shifted and her left wrist slipped off the bed and he saw the bruise.

It was large and overlapped because of her small wrist. He knew whose hand it had come from, and he stepped forward. How could he have hurt her? He was going to wake him, kick him out now, until he heard a hum of disapproval.

He tried to protest but was told very firmly that it hadn't been on purpose. He supposed Grace wouldn't have stayed if she thought he had meant to hurt her.

It didn't make him happy, but he could deal with it after they woke.

He was backing away when he heard a soft voice so full of sleep. "Daddy?"

He nodded, looking at her. Her green eyes were bright despite just waking up. "Go back to sleep, love."

She shook her head, and slowly, so she didn't wake David, climbed out of the bed.

She pushed him into the hall, and closed the door behind them. "Wanna swim?"

He nodded, and smiled. "Race you?"

She flashed a bright grin and then took off. Their foot falls were muffled by the TARDIS and he had to say that Grace won on her own.

She was faster than him these days. Probably from running since the day she could walk.

They swam hard, neither one speaking for a long while. The only sound was rapid breathing and the smooth sound of bodies pushing through water.

He knew why he was pushing himself, but he didn't know why she was. He had every intention of finding out when they stopped.

At long last she grabbed the side of the wall and held on, catching her breath quickly.

He stopped at the same in, waiting until their breathing was slow and normal again. She was making no point to talk so he took the lead.

"What is it, Grace? What's wrong?"

She looked over at him, and sighed. Pulling herself up onto the side, she hung her feet into the water. He mimicked and waited patiently for her to answer.

She was looking down, not wanting to share. She got that from him, he hated himself for it. Well, maybe it would help if he started.

"I'm worried I'm going to make the wrong choice," he told her and she looked at him.

She shrugged, "Maybe there isn't a wrong choice."

He thought about that.

"Maybe it'll be like anything else, ups and downs, good and bad."

He smiled. "How did you get to be so smart?"

She smiled just a little. "Why don't you want her to come?"

He had already talked this through with Donna, but he didn't see what it would hurt to go through it again.

"I'm scared it will mess everything up with all of us," he admitted. "Or that I will do something stupid because I feel like I owe her."

She seemed to think about it. "I think she should come."

He looked up surprised by the sudden decision. "Why?"

She bit her lip. "I think she needs this."

He nodded, "I suppose so. "

Grace was silent again, and it reminded him of her problem. "Sweetheart, please tell me. What is wrong?"

She looked him in the eye, "I think I am pregnant, Dad."


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Hopefully this doesn't seem like I'm dragging the story on. I intended for this story to be shorter, but it's sort of progressing on its own. Anyway, hope you are still enjoying it.**

The Doctor looked over at her, surprised. Of all the things he had imagined, this hadn't been one of them. Right now all he could see when he saw her was the little girl she used to be. He saw her at five, brilliant but still a child.

She would crawl onto his lap, and ask him questions that no human child would ever ask. He would hold her close and bask in the joy she provided.

Now that little girl was all grown up. And it all made sense. Why she had been upset about him and her mother fighting about a baby. She felt guilty.

He hated that they caused her to feel that way. Neither would have fought about this if it would have hurt her.

He was happy for her, if she was, but he wished she would have waited a little longer. She had so much life to live; she was so young in Time Lord numbers.

He started to stand, "Does Jack know? Let's go to the med-bay and check you out. Better to know now."

She touched his arm, halting his progress, "No, Jack doesn't know. Please, Dad, can we just wait until after the party."

He nodded looking over at her now. She looked lost and there were tears in her eyes.

"What is it, sweetheart?"

She bit her lip, and he reached out, tucking strawberry blond strands of hair behind her ear. His baby, all grown up, but he knew that she still needed him. It did make him wish that he and Donna could have another child though.

He missed the sound of little feet in the TARDIS.

"If I am, I…I just thought maybe I would do more before we had a baby. Thought it could wait a while, while we really lived."

He nodded. He understood and it was all the same he would have wanted for her. They had time.

"Does it make me a bad person, Dad?"

He shook his head, "No, you're so young, Grace. I think it's only natural, doesn't mean you wouldn't be a good mum if you are."

She nodded, "Don't tell anyone, yet."

He wanted to tell Donna, but he wouldn't. "I won't, love. But right after the party, we need to figure this out. If you aren't then we go on, if you are then we are all here for you."

"I love you," she said softy.

He pulled her close, "I love you more."

DW

Jack woke alone. He looked around the room, listened for gentle sound of movement coming from the bathroom, but heard nothing. It wasn't as if he had never woken after her but he was bothered by it now.

It took him a long moment, longer than it should have, to understand that he was feeling upset because Grace was upset. Even without the TARDIS amplifying emotions, sometimes Grace did it herself.

He climbed out of bed, determined to find her, and pulled on some clothes. In the hall he saw David shuffling to the kitchen, and he smiled at him.

"David, have you seen Grace?"

David shook his head, "Not since last night. I had a nightmare and we swapped stories for a while."

Jack smiled again, "Did she tell you about Paul?"

David nodded, "So he was real?"

Jack rolled his eyes, "Very, she was upset for weeks. She loved that little terror."

David grinned, "She seems the type to love the hardest to love."

Jack doubted David meant anything by it, at least not anything towards Jack but it made Jack start. She really did. She loved him at his best, but also so completely at his worse.

"Talk to you in a bit, got a girl to find," Jack told him with a faint nod.

He followed the pull of the TARDIS and opened the door to the pool. On the far side were Grace and the Doctor, talking too quietly to hear. He saw the Doctor pull her into an embrace, and then the Doctor noticed him.

"Jack!"

Grace looked up at him, and he did something he often did when it wasn't the time for words. He simply opened his arms to her. She rushed into them, and he held her close.

"Are you okay, Grace?"

She nodded against his chest, and he looked to the Doctor for clues. The Doctor shrugged but his face didn't try to hide the fact that he knew what was going on.

Jack was a little hurt that Grace didn't want to tell him, but he would wait. She was a quiet soul most of the time, and he could be patient.

"Breakfast," the Doctor announced, breaking the silence.

No one asked what the Doctor was going to do about Rose, but Jack supposed they had already prepared for either way.

David brought up Paul to the Doctor and at first Jack was afraid it would serve to upset his girl farther but she only smiled. Small tales were told and Grace seemed more animated now.

It was only after a shower, that she declined to let him join that he had enough. He sat her on the bed, and sat next to her, taking her hands.

"Tell me what's wrong," he told her, gently, but firmly.

She looked away, "Not now Jack, Rose will be here any minute."

"I don't care about Rose," he told her. "I care about you!"

Grace grinned which he thought should infuriate him but he couldn't help but smile too. Leave it to her to redirect a meltdown with something as simple as a smile.

She could always smile and bat those eyelashes and he would be mush.

"After the party, okay?"

He sighed but nodded, hearing the knock at the door. He would let it go, but he knew that she would be carefully watched until the moment the party ended.

It scared him that she was keeping secrets like this. And they were so close to the wedding. Surely she wasn't having second thoughts about that; it might kill him if she changed her mind.

He led her to the gardens, where they were going to celebrate. The TARDIS had it decorated and supplied an artificial sun, and a lovely lake for swimming.

On the table there was also a large present wrapped in colorful paper that bore a tag that read TARDIS. Grace grinned at Jack and un-wrapped it before the other could join them.

Inside it was a large box, and inside that box was a dress. Not just any dress, a wedding dress.

It was beautiful, and Grace stared at it in awe.

They hadn't picked out one yet, waiting until closer to time because Grace hated dresses, but she didn't seem to hate this one.

The Doctor led the others in and both David and the Doctor stood and stared at the dress.

"Doctor?"

Donna asked and he turned to look at her. "I…before you picked out your dress I picked out one. It was made of a material that was said to pick up on the emotions of the wearer and would glow the color of love."

Donna stared, "You never said."

"I only wanted to make you happy. You loved the dress you picked out, so I just put this one away and forgot it."

"I don't have to wear it," Grace told them.

"No," the Doctor shook his head. "I would love you to."

Donna nodded her agreement. Jack thanked the TARDIS for something not only beautiful, but also so special.

"Let's get this party started," the Doctor announced.

It was funny, all Jack could think about the news that was coming when it ended.


	9. Chapter 9

Grace sat at the edge of the water looking down at the gift that Rose had given her. It was a map of constellations. Grace assumed that they were the stars that hung over London in this universe. It was framed, a black background with contrasting white lines defining borders. The names were there too.

It was an interesting gift, and Grace thought it would look good on her wall. She was about to set it to the side when she heard a soft voice say something.

"It's not just for here," Rose told her, she looked nervous.

"No?"

"No," Rose smiled a pretty smile, and Grace nodded for her to join her sitting down. When she was settled she continued, "It changes to show the constellations that are wherever you are in the universe."

Grace looked down at it now. It was clear by the way she said it that she had put some thought into what Grace might actually like. "Thank you, Rose."

Rose nodded, "I'm sorry about Jack. I was just confused and I didn't know."

Grace could see the worry in her eyes. She was worried that one wrong action might lead to her being left here.

Rose shot a look back at the Doctor and Jack and David talking to Donna. She smiled faintly.

"He loves you still," Grace told her.

Rose just shook her head, "I know what it probably seems like. But that's not why I'm here. I can move on, really, but I miss this life. The traveling and the making a difference out there."

Grace nodded and the conversation changed. It became two friends talking to each other. Grace talked about the wedding when prompted by Rose and Rose offered to help if she were allowed to stay. They talked about Rose's days with the Doctor.

She spoke honestly about mistakes she had made back then. Admitted sometimes she was too jealous for her own good, but she was younger then. She was acting like the teenager she was. Grace knew the story of how she saved her father from the Daleks, how she had opened the TARDIS and how the Doctor had been upset about it for a while.

But Grace understood that Rose had only been trying to help, and that she was entitled to make mistakes. They all did that, especially this group.

She wanted Rose to stay. Wanted to see if she had really changed, and most of all she thought it might be nice to have another girl on board.

They talked until the Doctor finally came up and asked to talk to Rose. Grace reached out and pulled her into a hug. Rose seemed surprised by the gesture but returned it before letting the Doctor lead her away.

DW

Jack watched Rose and Grace talking like old friends. At first it made him nervous but they were soon laughing and he felt himself relax.

Grace could forgive almost anything but this wasn't just forgiveness. She and Rose were getting along, and Jack could see the Doctor melt a little. While he hadn't said for sure what he was going to do about her, Jack had suspected that she would be staying.

Maybe the Doctor wasn't super happy about it but he was going to do it. Now he seemed to relax as well. He would move the universe for Grace and Jack thought it might be easier for the Doctor to think he was letting Rose stay for Grace.

It didn't matter what reality was. Nobody seemed in any big hurry to finish the party but he reached a point when he couldn't stand the anticipation anymore.

He met the Doctors eyes and he hoped his pleaded well enough without words.

The Doctor just nodded and walked over to talk to Rose.

He led her away from the group and Jack watched them talking. After a couple of moments Rose hugged the Doctor and then pulled back. He led her back over and asked David to help Rose find her old room.

When they both left, taking the task even though they had to know it was just to distract them. The Doctor led Jack and Donna and Grace to the med-bay.

Inside the Doctor made Grace come clean. Donna hugged her daughter and then the Doctor ran the test.

Jack held his breath. He had mixed feelings. He wanted this, but he just didn't plan on having children yet. What would they do? Raise them in the TARDIS like Grace had been, or settle on Earth for a little while.

How human would they be? What would happen if the man who couldn't die had a baby with the girl with two hearts?

It scared him and exited him. Grace would be a great mum he knew, but he could see the tension in her face. She wasn't ready, but he knew that if it was positive that she would do what was needed.

He pleaded for time-time for them to actually ask the questions that plagued him now. And time to take precautions until they were ready. They hadn't been careful enough, both not thinking it seemed.

It was all too new, but this served as a reminder. Their actions didn't stop with just them.

"Well?" Grace asked.

Jack moved to hold her. He would be there for her no matter what. He had loved her literally before her birth and he wasn't ever going to stop. No matter what.

"It's negative," the Doctor told her. "You aren't pregnant."

Grace let out a sigh of relief but there were tears running down her face. He felt a sting as well. They both, it seemed, wanted a baby as much as they didn't.

"Grace, I love you. Baby or no baby. And this just means that we can make the choice and it will be that much more special when we decide. "

DW

The Doctor let Jack lead Grace away. He hadn't really been thinking about compatibility between Grace and Jack but it was something that was going to have to be figured out. He would leave it to Grace and Jack unless they came to him.

He looked over and Donna who didn't need to say a word. They just held each other. Each was thinking of their own struggle to have a baby, and wondered if it would be the same for Jack and Grace.

And the Doctor wished somewhat selfishly that Grace had been. He missed little smiles, little hands, little 'I love yous' but it was for the best. While there was nothing wrong with surprises, there was something to be said about making the choice.

He led Donna to their room. He wanted to be near her, to feel her skin against his own.  
>Nothing to think about for a few moments but bringing her pleasure.<p>

Then he would get Rose settled and they would leave this universe. They had gained two new passengers but he thought it might be just right.

Life in the TARDIS was always about moving ahead, and this was just another adventure.


End file.
